Maddalena Ravagli Makes Directorial Debut With Sicily-Set Summer Story

The writer behind Italy's hit series Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero is stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Maddalena Ravagli is making her directorial debut with The Place of Eternal Summer, known in Italian as La terra dell'estate, a Sicily-set story now shooting on location in Sicily, according to Variety.

The cameras are already rolling. The shoot is listed as running from 30 August to 3 October 2026, according to Italy for Movies.

The film follows the friendship between two boys, Leo and Turi, across three summers set five years apart. They meet at age 10. They meet again as teenagers. They reunite a third time on the threshold of adulthood.

It is described as a mix of coming-of-age and action. Coming-of-age means a story about growing up. Here that structure is paired with the chases, fights and physical stakes of an action film.

Ravagli co-wrote the screenplay with Leonardo Fasoli. The pair have a long working history. Fasoli was her co-writer on both Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero.

The production brings together several companies. The film is being produced by Moontrip and Tramp Limited, with Beside Productions, Vision Distribution and Sky also on board.

Moontrip itself is a banner set up by Rome-based Cattleya with Fasoli and Ravagli. Cattleya is owned by ITV Studios, the production arm of the British broadcaster ITV.

For audiences, this means a clear path to cinemas at home and abroad. The Place of Eternal Summer will be released in theatres in Italy by Vision Distribution. Sales outside Italy, which means selling the right to show the film territory by territory, are being handled by Vision Distribution International Sales.

What makes this stand out is the route to the screen. The project was selected for the co-production market at the 2024 Rome MIA Market, an event where producers pitch unfinished films to find finance and partners. That year's market presented 60 projects, according to Screen Daily.

Two years on, that pitch has become a set in Sicily.